Harpurhey Alternative Provision School

Overview:

Pupils benefit from a calm and respectful environment at Harpurhey Alternative Provision School, where they value the positive working relationships with staff who care for them well. Most pupils live up to the high expectations of their behaviour and conduct, and they are happy. However, the school has high aspirations for pupils' achievement, but some pupils do not achieve as well as they should due to issues with the quality of education.

Strengths:

• Pupils benefit from a calm and respectful environment.
• Pupils value the positive working relationships with staff.
• Most pupils live up to the high expectations of their behaviour and conduct.
• Pupils are happy.
• The school has appropriate arrangements in place to promptly identify the additional needs of pupils.
• The school provides appropriate support to a small number of pupils who need help to manage their own behaviour.
• The school's curriculums for personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE), relationships and sex education and health education, and careers education prepare pupils well for adulthood.

Areas to improve:

• In a few subjects, the school has not identified precisely what they want pupils to know and remember, resulting in pupils not developing the breadth and depth of knowledge and understanding they should.
• On occasion, the school is not quick enough to rectify the gaps and misconceptions in some pupils' knowledge, resulting in these pupils moving on to new learning before they are ready.
• Some pupils do not receive the support they need to quickly become confident and fluent readers, resulting in these pupils struggling to access some parts of the school's curriculum.
• Some pupils are not provided with a broad enough range of opportunities to develop their talents and interests, resulting in their wider development being hindered.

Safeguarding:

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.